


Sacrifice

by kimuracarter



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Prompt Fic, Sexual Abuse, vulnerable!Jim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-15
Updated: 2011-11-15
Packaged: 2017-10-30 17:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/334474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimuracarter/pseuds/kimuracarter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quick fill for this prompt: <i>Jim and Bones are stranded on a hostile planet with no supplies. They manage to get by because of Jim's kick-ass survival skillz, which, unbeknownst to Bones, happen to include bartering sex for food/shelter/etc. Bones finds out when someone takes it too far and Jim gets hurt.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. This is a work of fiction and not for profit.

Leonard McCoy was worried. Jim was late. They had been stranded on this alien planet – the name of which Leonard still had trouble pronouncing – for two months. Jim kept coming up with new and inventive ways to try and signal the Enterprise on this pre-warp world. As a result, they had been forced to work as they could – Leonard as a healer, and Jim on a farm – to afford food and supplies. They had managed to gather enough materials to construct a tiny home on the outskirts of town. The natives had taken well to their presence – it seemed they were not the first aliens to drop in.

While Leonard could only make money when someone was actually ill – they were an annoyingly healthy and hardy species – Jim pulled down fairly good money from his job. Their lives were far from perfect – but it could have been so much worse. They could have landed way out in the desert.

Over the past few weeks, they had developed a routine. Jim would leave early in the morning for work. Leonard would take care of the garden and go into town a little later to see if anyone needed his services. He would stop by the farm to have lunch with Jim and then either go see patients or return home. Jim would come home just after dark. They would eat together and then either retire early or spend more time trying to get their beat-up communicators or Leonard's tricorder re-wired enough to send a signal out.

But tonight, Jim was late. Night had fallen half an hour ago. The dinner he had prepared was cooling on the low table. Leonard bit his lip, wondering if he should go into town or head to the farm to ask after Jim. _This isn't like him._

~~~

Another half hour later, Leonard was just packing up a bag to go into town when he heard slow footsteps approaching the house. “Jim?!”

“Hey, Bones,” Jim responded, shuffling into the house. “Sorry I'm late. I got held up at work. I would've commed you, but … you know.” He smiled at his own joke.

Leonard scowled. “I was worried sick.” He paced back and forth as Jim hung up his cloak and toed off his boots. “Your dinner's cold.”

Jim raised an eyebrow, looking at the table. “Yours is too. You could've --”

“No, I damn well couldn't, Jim!”

Jim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “What's on the menu?” He eased himself down to one of the dilapidated cushions on the floor and sniffed the bowl closest to him. “Mmm … mashed roots with protein supplement. My favorite.”

Leonard snorted and sat down across from him. “It'll be a bit before there's any more greens from the garden.”

Jim grinned at him across the table. “Thanks, Bones. I'll try to see if I can get something fresh from work, okay?”

“Don't worry about it,” Leonard said, passing Jim the dressing he had made from herbs. “We don't have the money for that.”

“Actually, we do,” Jim responded, pouring the dressing into his bowl and stirring it. “I've been getting more work at the farm. We can afford it.”

Leonard frowned. “That why you were late? Extra work?”

Jim nodded, passing Leonard the dressing. “Yep.”

They ate in comfortable silence as the small insects of the night began to buzz. “You want to try working on the signal tonight?”

Jim shook his head and yawned. “Not tonight, Bones. I'm tired.”

“Go on to bed,” Leonard told him, gathering up the empty bowls. “I'll clean up.”

“But --”

“Go.”

Jim sighed dramatically and heaved himself up.

Leonard heard the gasp and frowned, studying his lover more carefully. “Damn it, Jim! Why the hell are you limping?”

Jim flinched. “I'm fine, Bones. Just a little sore.”

Leonard stood and was about to take the bowls outside to wash when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. “Jim, what the hell is that on your neck?”

Jim quickly moved to pull his shirt higher up.

Leonard had had enough, setting down the bowls and moving closer. “Let me see.”

Jim jerked away from him. “Don't. Just leave it, Bones!”

Leonard forced himself to still. Jim was shying away from him, angling himself inward. And he was shivering. He forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out slow. “Darlin' … c'mere.”

Jim shook his head violently and turned away.

“Shhh, Jimmy, c'mere. Let me see that,” Leonard crooned, holding out his arms.

Jim dropped to his knees, cowering against the mattress. “Don't … Bones, don't. Please … I'm sorry.”

Leonard knelt beside him – as close as he could get without touching him. “Shhh, darlin'. I'm not mad. Easy, now. I'm right here. Not gonna hurt you, sweetheart.” The way Jim was tightly holding his clothes was making Leonard's stomach turn. What had happened was starting to become sickeningly clear. “Tell me who did this, Jim. Who hurt you?”

Jim shook his head and started to sob.

Leonard slowly wrapped his arms around him and rocked side to side. “I've got you. You're safe.”

Jim shook in his arms, crying like a heartbroken child.

Leonard held him close and murmured to him soothingly.

Jim finally spoke again a while later. “Hurts,” he gasped out. “Bones --”

“Where's it hurt, darlin'?”

Jim whimpered and tried to swallow it down. “Feels like … everywhere.”

“Let me see.” Leonard gently lifted him just enough to lay him on the mattress.

Jim immediately panicked, pushing himself against the wall and crying out.

Leonard patiently sat beside him, reaching out to stroke his sweaty hair. “I won't hurt you, Jimmy. You need to let me see, so I can help.” He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over Jim. “It's all right, sweetheart. I'm right here.”

Jim relaxed a little and eventually let Leonard lie him back and gently remove his clothes.

Leonard somehow found a deep well of calm inside himself as he surveyed the damage – bite marks all along Jim's shoulders and collarbone, dark bruises along his sides, and older, healing marks that looked like they came from a whip. McCoy was beyond furious, but he kept his touch and tone gentle. He didn't want Jim to hurt himself trying to pull away. He realized that over the past few weeks, Jim had become less tactile. _I should have known something was wrong._

He reached for his pack of pathetically outdated medical supplies and started treating and wrapping the wounds that were open. He put some salve on the older ones and quietly asked Jim if there were more.

Jim shook his head.

“All right, darlin'.” He pulled the blanket up to Jim's chin and then moved down towards his feet and moved it aside. Jim cried silently as Leonard inspected his genitals as carefully as he could. “I need you to roll over, sweetheart. Or pull your knees up.”

Jim choked back another sob.

Leonard went to him and stroked his hair. “Shhh, now. S'all right, darlin'. I'll make it better. Roll over for me, Jimmy, and I'll rub your back. That's it.”

Jim slowly rolled onto his side and pulled his knees to his chest; his breath was coming in hitching gasps. Leonard rubbed his lower back softly in gentle circles as he examined the damage.

“It's all right, darlin'. I'm gonna make it stop hurting. I promise.”

~~~

A half hour later, Leonard had dressed Jim's wounds as best he could and managed to get him to drink down a mixture of painkilling herbs. He sat next to the bed, stroking Jim's hair. He felt oddly numb.

“Bones?”

“Yeah, Jim?”

“I'm … I'm sorry.”

“I'm not mad at you, sweetheart. Just tell me what happened.”

Jim whimpered. “Can it wait?”

“I'd rather you didn't.”

Jim took a few, shuddering breaths. “There was this … guy at the farm. He asked me if I wanted to make more money. I said yes, of course. When I found out what he wanted me for … I said no. But then … I saw how thin you were getting. I knew we didn't have enough money to live on. So, I … I told him I'd do it. And it … it could've been worse, but … tonight, the customer was a little rough.”

“Oh, Jim,” Leonard sighed.

“I just … it's my job to look after you, Bones. And I was failing at it.”

Leonard leaned down and kissed Jim's hair. “We're in this together, Jim. Whatever happens. You understand?”

“But --”

“No. No buts, Jim. We take care of each other. And we don't keep things from each other. If you're doing something where you could get hurt, I need to know.” Leonard swallowed back the anger that was welling to the surface.

Jim was quiet for a minute. “You're right. I'm sorry, Bones.”

“No more of this, you hear? I don't care how much they paid you.”

“Bones, we can't live without that money.”

“We'll find a way, Jim. I'm not gonna let you go out and get hurt again.” He paused. “What would you do if our roles were reversed right now? If I had kept this from you?”

Jim was silent for a long time before answering. “I would go out and find the guy that hurt you.”

“And how hard do you think it is for me to dress your wounds and know that there's not a goddamn thing I can do to that bastard? They've got twice our strength, Jim. I'd rip him limb from limb if I could.” Jim shivered under his hands. Leonard stroked his arm soothingly. “We'll figure out something else. I'll have to find more work.” He leaned down, curling behind Jim. “We'll make it work, Jimmy. We'll find a way.”

They fell asleep like that – Jim curled into a ball on their bed, and Leonard curled over him from the floor.

~~~

The next morning, they argued over how long Jim would need to stay home. Leonard finally got him to promise to stay put and went to the farm to make excuses for him. He glared at everyone in general, wondering which one of the aliens had hurt Jim. He managed to keep a lid on his temper as he asked around the farm to see if there was something else he could do to help out.

Eventually, they allowed him to work in the kitchen. Jim had gained their respect by force – proving that he could do the hard work out in the fields with the rest of them. Leonard didn't know how he managed it, since the work tools were not made for humans.

Leonard didn't make much money, but the chef allowed him to take home a portion of the stew he had helped make.

Jim was up and fiddling with their comms again when he got back. Leonard shooed him back to bed and made him eat his stew.

They were awakened in the middle of the night by crackling from the comm. Leonard leapt for it. “Hello?”

“Doc – Coy?”

“Spock, is that you?”

Jim snatched the comm, adjusting the settings on it. “Spock, Kirk here. Come in.”

“-- can hear you, Captain. Locking onto your signal in a moment.”

“Thank God,” Leonard gasped, wrapping his arms around Jim. A few seconds later, they materialized on the transporter pad. Jim grinned and got up to greet his crew. Leonard quickly called for medical help. Despite Jim's protests, he got him transferred to Sickbay. He waited until they could get some privacy before properly healing Jim's wounds. He figured he would have to argue with Jim to get him to rest in Sickbay for a bit. But once he had healed the wounds, Jim drifted off to sleep on his own.

Spock appeared behind him. “Doctor, is the Captain ready to --”

“Shh. Let him sleep, Spock. Just let him sleep.”


End file.
